Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Boom!

As soon as the name "Gu Chen" appeared, it was like a stone stirred up a thousand waves, instantly sending shockwaves through every person in the inn.

Even the members of the Arsenal no longer exhibited their previous arrogance and coldness, with the leader's forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.

Nowadays, following the epic battle at the Yao Platform event and Gu Chen's subsequent eradication of the thirteen strongholds of the Blood Shadow Sword, the name Gu Chen had become renowned throughout Qiongtian Mansion.

The leading warrior from the Arsenal hadn't expected to encounter such a legendary figure as Gu Chen in this modest roadside inn.

"It turns out to be Lord Gu, Gu Chen of the Jing Tian Department. We have offended you earlier and hope that Lord Gu will forgive us." The leader of the Arsenal warriors took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and apologized to Gu Chen.

Luckily for them, the leader had sensed something extraordinary about Gu Chen earlier on and hadn't made a move; otherwise, with Gu Chen's strength, they all would have been slain on the spot, with none left alive.

As the saying goes: A person's reputation precedes them. Due to the incidents in Xu'an County and the Yao Platform event, the rumor had spread far and wide that Gu Chen of the Jing Tian Department had a fierce killing nature and would kill at the slightest disagreement. Countless had died at his hands, enough to form a small mountain.

No wonder the warrior from the Arsenal was so apprehensive upon hearing Gu Chen's name.

The Vajra Stage warrior from the Arsenal clasped his fists and said, "Lord Gu, these two were spouting complete nonsense just now. I believe Lord Gu is well aware of the Arsenal's reputation in the martial world; we would never do such appalling deeds. On the other hand, these siblings sought to deceive the Arsenal, which is why we needed to take them back for interrogation.

We hope that Lord Gu won't obstruct us."

"Mmm... Mmm..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zining immediately became anxious, shouting and trying to say something, but his mouth was stuffed, and he could only utter indistinct noises that failed to convey any comprehensible message.

It was the same for Zhang Yining, whose pretty face turned deathly pale as she struggled, but she was tightly restrained by the Arsenal's personnel.

Gu Chen glanced at the siblings and said, "If you act this way, how can I trust you? I said you should clarify things right here. If it turns out these siblings have fabricated the story, then naturally, they are at your mercy to deal with."

"Lord Gu, this..." The Arsenal warrior found himself in a difficult position after hearing this.

Seeing this, how could Gu Chen not see through who was right and who was wrong? It was clear at a glance.

Moreover, the matter involved divine weapons, so it wouldn't be surprising for the Arsenal's men to be up to something.

"Release them!"

Gu Chen uttered just these two words, and the many warriors from the Arsenal immediately changed expression. They were ordered to find and retrieve someone, and if they failed to bring the person back, they naturally wouldn't be able to report back and would certainly be punished by their supervisor.

The warrior from the Arsenal ground his teeth and hesitated, saying, "Lord Gu..."

Bang!

Gu Chen's expression was calm, and without seeing any movement from him, the leading Arsensal warrior, who hadn't finished speaking, spat blood and was sent flying backward.

"Some things I do not wish to repeat a second time, don't release them, and die!"

Upon hearing Gu Chen's stern voice, the rest of the Arsenal warriors were horrified. With the lesson learned from their leader right before their eyes, how could they dare to disobey Gu Chen's words? They immediately released Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining.

After that, they frantically helped up the Vajra Stage warrior who had been struck by Gu Chen and hurriedly fled in a panic.

They had now experienced Gu Chen's personality firsthand and it was indeed as the rumors had described: quick to resort to violence. Experience new tales on empire

The injured warrior from the Arsenal also felt a sense of relief; somehow, he had managed to survive a confrontation with Gu Chen and hadn't been killed outright, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

After the Arsenal's warriors had gone, the rest of the inn's patrons looked at Gu Chen with respect and admiration, especially the drunken man who had had a conflict with Gu Chen earlier. He was now sober from fear, extremely relieved and grateful that his companion had held him back earlier.

Otherwise, if he had provoked Gu Chen, he'd be dead with no one to collect his body.

"Are you... Are you really Lord Gu, Gu Chen of the Jing Tian Department?"

At this moment, Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining, the siblings, cautiously approached Gu Chen, looking at him with admiration.

Even they had heard of Gu Chen's reputation. Recently, in every major tavern throughout Qiongtian Mansion, storytellers had been fervently recounting Gu Chen's recent exploits.

From warriors to ordinary citizens, everyone had heard of Gu Chen's name.

Not only them, but many young warriors in Qiongtian Mansion now viewed Gu Chen as a role model.

Gu Chen did not respond to the two but gestured for them to sit down before saying, "Let's hear it, why did you want to report to the officials?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zining and Zhang Yining didn't hesitate; anger flashed across their faces as they relayed the whole story to Gu Chen.

The Jing Tian Department, or rather Da Xia, had maintained a good reputation among the populace over the years; one could say that they were deeply loved and esteemed by the common people.

Therefore, Zhang Zining and his sister Zhang Yining placed great trust in Gu Chen.

After hearing the siblings' account, Gu Chen finally understood the full development of the entire incident.

The cause of the incident was simple, and stemmed from a single reason—divine weapons!

A divine weapon was entirely superior to a precious weapon; even a damaged divine weapon could effortlessly shatter a flawless superior-quality precious weapon.

The gap between a divine weapon and a precious one was akin to the difference between a martial arts grandmaster and a non-grandmaster; it was like heaven and earth apart.

Even with Gu Chen's current physical condition, a superior-quality precious weapon could no longer harm him in the slightest, but if struck by a divine weapon, Gu Chen would definitely not withstand it; he would bleed on the spot, or even die.

If a warrior at the Gang Qi Stage wielded a divine weapon, even with only inner gangqi cultivation, Gu Chen, using his full strength to employ the Golden Bell Shield with Dragon Roars and Tiger Howls, might not be able to withstand the opponent's attack.

This was the power of a divine weapon.

This divine weapon was a family heirloom of the Zhang family, named "Blood Shadow Sword," and it had been kept in the Zhang family ancestral hall, hidden from the world for countless years.

The Zhang ancestors were once glorious, having produced a martial arts grandmaster, and this Divine Weapon Blood Shadow Sword was the personal sword of that grandmaster.

However, as time passed, the Zhang family declined. Knowing the importance of divine weapons to warriors, the ancestors were aware that if the Zhang family's ownership of the divine weapon was exposed with their current strength, they would be attacked by all and hunted like wolves encircling prey.

Therefore, a long time ago, the ancestors had set a family rule: unless someone in the family reached the Gang Qi Stage or the family faced a life-and-death crisis, the Blood Shadow Sword must remain in the ancestral hall and not be used by anyone.

Time passed, and by the generation of Zhang Zining and his sister, the Zhang family had declined to its nadir. Their father ran a martial arts school in a small town of Qiongtian Mansion, and the ancestors' affairs were too remote for them to take seriously—they treated these stories as myths.

Even their father was unaware of the Blood Shadow Sword; he only knew that an ancestor had been a martial arts grandmaster and his personal sword was kept in the hall for the family's veneration.

This was intentional by the ancestors, who deliberately downplayed the existence of the Blood Shadow Sword and didn't pass down specific details, fearing that loose-lipped descendants might leak the information, leading to the family's ruin.

Not long ago, the siblings' father passed away, and to restore their ancestors' glory, they planned to join some famous sects in the martial world to make a name for themselves.

However, after their father's death, almost all their savings went to his funeral expenses, leaving them with not enough money for travel. Earning enough for the journey would take a lot of time.

Unwilling to waste time on such endeavors, Zhang Zining and his sister had the idea to sell the ancestral sword to fund their travel expenses.

Years had passed, and they did not know that "Blood Shadow" was a divine weapon; they simply felt that the sword of an ancestor who had been a martial arts grandmaster must surely be extraordinary.

With this thought, Zhang Zining and his sister used their last savings to travel to a large city, where they found the renowned Arsenal to get a price evaluation.

The siblings chose the Arsenal because it had a good reputation in the martial world and was considered the largest weapon dealer under heaven.

The Arsenal made its living by selling weapons, so naturally, its appraisers had exceptional insight. They immediately recognized the Blood Shadow Sword as a rare divine weapon and covertly reported the matter to their superiors.

When the news of a divine weapon surfaced, even the Arsenal's steward was alerted. However, he did not appear in person and instead had his subordinates talk to the siblings. Playing on their naivety, they told them that it was merely a precious weapon that had lost its sharpness over many years and was seriously flawed, so they could only offer three thousand taels.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zining and his sister hesitated, saying they wanted to go back and think it over. Seeing their reaction, someone from the Arsenal, worried, said they'd feel sorry for them and could add a bit more to the offer.

Zhang Zining was indeed tempted, but Zhang Yining was reluctant to sell the Blood Shadow Sword. After some consideration, they both refused the Arsenal's proposal.

Gu Chen knew the subsequent developments without needing an explanation from Zhang Zining; although the Arsenal was famous worldwide and housed various renowned weapons, divine weapons were scarce, even within the Arsenal.

The Arsenal would not allow a divine weapon to slip through its grasp right before its eyes—especially since Zhang Zining and his sister were alone and without support. It would be too easy for the Arsenal to take advantage of them.

When conventional methods failed, the Arsenal's people decided to silence Zhang Zining and his sister at night and forcibly take away the Blood Shadow Sword.

They had never expected that the esteemed and reputable Arsenal would stoop to such actions.

Luckily, divine weapons possess a spirit of their own, and even though the Arsenal's steward had taken precautions, he had still underestimated the power of the Blood Shadow Sword, which drew the attention of most of the Arsenal's warriors.

Seeing this, Zhang Zining and his sister made a wise decision to not dwell on the Blood Shadow Sword but to turn and flee instead.

However, the Arsenal's steward, fearing that Zhang Zining and his sister could create complications if they lived and the news of a divine weapon appearing in the martial world got out, dispatched the same group of people to pursue and kill them.

But with the protection of the divine Blood Shadow Sword and the added cloak of a heavy rain at night, it was extremely difficult to trace the siblings' steps. It took the Arsenal's men a long while to confirm the correct direction for the chase.

This was the full story of the incident. Zhang Zining and his sister had decided that once they escaped the Arsenal's pursuit, they would go to the authorities and hope that the imperial court could seek justice for them.

Fortunately, they had encountered Gu Chen here; otherwise, tonight, neither Zhang Zining and his sister, nor anyone in this entire inn would have survived.

To keep the Divine Weapon Blood Shadow Sword's existence hidden, the Arsenal would stop at nothing.

At that moment, Zhang Zining clenched his teeth, as if he had made a significant decision, and pulled his sister Zhang Yining down with him as they both kneeled to the ground. Bowing their heads, he said in a heavy voice, "Big Brother Gu, please stand up for us, siblings. If Big Brother Gu can retrieve the Blood Shadow Sword from those thieves, we are willing to offer it up with both hands."